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Topics - rbwillnj

Can anyone identify the parts in the picture. I have two sets, they didn't come to me at the same time, or even together, so I don't know if the two different parts are related or not. I am pretty sure however that they are Star related. I assumed they were parts from some sort of indexer, but I'm not sure about that either.

It is not a Star, it is a Phelps. Not to say it isn't a good Lubesizer, but it's not a Star, and other than the dies and punches, parts are not interchangeable with a Star. I told the seller, but apparently he didn't care.

You may have noticed that someone, (not me) has parted out a number of reloaders on eBay. This is a good time to remind members that bronze primer casting is not interchangeable on different Star reloaders. They were fitted at the factory and both bronze casting and the steel floor base were stamped with matching numbers. A primer casting will NOT fit any other steel floor base.

Likewise, the crank shaft bearing was fitted to the column during final assembly. The taper pin hole location is slightly different on every machine. The chance of purchasing a separate Column and a crank shaft bearing and having them fit properly is extremely low. Unfortunately they are not marked in any way to aid in matching them up. When I rebuild Star reloaders I stamp both the column and the crank shaft bearing to ensure I reassemble matching parts.

Recently I have been listing some Star reloader parts on eBay under the user ID starmachineworksllc. I am listing parts on eBay primarily as advertising in order to let folks who don't frequent this forum know that Star parts are available. My prices on eBay are higher than my standard prices because they include the eBay and PayPal fees.

If you are interested in something I have listed on eBay, you can save if you contact me directly. I have most Star reloader parts in stock. I am only listing a small sampling of commonly used parts on eBay. Although I have a long history with eBay under my personal user ID rbwillnj, I'm starting as a new user with the StarMachineWorksLLC user ID and eBay will only let me list five (5) items per month.

In December 2014, not long after purchasing Star Machine Works I took a trip to the northern part of New Jersey to look at a collection of Star Reloaders that was for sale. Among the ten Star reloaders and four Phelps reloaders were two Star Inline (also referred to as Straight-Line) reloaders. I brought them home along with six Universals. As time has allowed I have been working to restore one of the Inlines. It required parts from both machines plus some parts I acquired in the Star acquisition to get one of the Inlines to its current state. I am still missing the primer slider, chain and counterweight that can be seen in the last two black in white pictures that were taken by Ken Walters and provided to me by Ken Neeld from the ARTCA forum. The missing parts are a Rube Goldberg system of advancing primers held in the horizontal rectangular primer tube to the priming station.

This machine cannot be considered a progressive reloader as the cases must be moved from station to station manually, and it is not possible to perform all operations at the same time.

You will note that the patent number is the same number used on Progressives and Universals. Since there are Progressives with "Pat Pending" bases, it would seem to indicate that these machines came after the introduction of the "Progressive" even though the Progressive seems a far more advanced than the inline. Although the Patent number on this machine is the same as used on the Progressives, I don't see anything in the Patent that would apply to this machine.

It's difficult to get a good idea of how this machine works based on the pictures, so when I have the time I plan to put together a YouTube video of the machine in operation.

I am pleased to announce that Star Machine Works is under new management. I have completed the purchase Star Machine Works from Bill Cunningham and everything, parts, jigs, fixtures etc. have been moved east to New Jersey. We have nearly completed the process of unpacking and organizing the tons (literally) of “New Old Stock” parts and look forward to serving fellow Star enthusiasts for years to come.

My goal is to provide all of the parts needed to keep these fine machines operating. As mentioned above, I have tons of original Star parts in inventory. Unfortunately, some parts are sold out, so I will be working to replenish stocks of those parts as quickly as possible.

I currently have no plans to produce “New” Star Universals or Progressives, but I will continue to rebuild/refurbish/refinish Star reloaders into like new condition. The many original Star jigs and fixtures I have acquired will enhance my efforts in this area. I generally have fully rebuilt Star Progressives and Star Universals in a variety of calibers available for purchase.

This one was given to me recently. No idea who made it, but some interesting features. In particular it has a pressed in bearing in for the crank shaft assembly and roller bearings for the shell plate. It has a Phelps tool head and a Star shell plate. The underside of the Star shell plate was machined to give a smooth surface for the roller bearing.

Clarence Peterson's patent for the Star Lubesizer was filed in 1934 and granted in November of 1935. The Lubesizers were manufactured by Star until 1993 when Magma Engineering acquired to that portion of the Star business. Magma continues to make the "Star Magma" sizer to this day.

The Star Lubricator Sizer underwent very few changes over the course of its production, but one of the later changes was the addition of a Jam Nut at the base of the lube reservoir. Magma continues to use the jam nut to this day.

First Question: For those of you who might have purchased a Star Lubricator sizer directly from Star, when did you purchase it, and did it have a Jam Nut or not. I'm trying to pinpoint when that design change occurred.

I recently picked up a number of MA Systems products including, the case feeder, bullet feeder, indexer and auto eject. I have no instructions, and I don't know if what I have is complete or missing parts.

Thought you folks would enjoy this. Attached are pictures of a "Star" made by a local machinist. Word is that he was a machinist at Bethlehem Steel. Local folks know at least four were made and sold at gun shows at a discount to Stars. This machine is set up for 38 Special. I personally know of one other that has tool heads for 38 Special and 45 ACP.